Rian Johnson is still going to make anew Star Wars trilogywith Lucasfilm, he just doesn’t know when that’s going to be. So, the filmmaker may very well make another original movie before he heads back to a galaxy far, far away. It all comes down to the brass at Lucasfilm figuring out their long-term schedule when it comes to the future of the franchise on the big screen, and that could get complicated.
Recently,The Last JedidirectorRian Johnsonhas been making the rounds to promote his latest movie,Knives Out, an original whodunnit that has been earning rave reviews ahead of its theatrical debut. During a recent interview, Johnson was asked if he plans to make another movie before getting back to work on his mysteriousStar Warstrilogy. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“The truth is they’re stillfiguring out their schedule, their game plan, so if it’s possible for me to squeeze in another film before or while working on that, I will.”
At present,Lucasfilm’s focusis split between two projects,The Rise of Skywalker, which will round out the sequel trilogy, andThe Mandalorian, the first ever live-action TV series set within the franchise, which is launching on Disney+ in November. However, following the release of Episode IX, we’re going to have a three-year break with the movies. Then, in December 2022, we will be getting the first in a planned trilogy fromGame of Thronescreators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.
Disneyhas set further release dates forStar Warsmovies in December 2024 and December 2026. The presumption is that those will all be from the Benioff and Weiss trilogy. Unless further dates are locked down, the earliest we’d see the first entry in the Rian Johnson trilogy is in 2027. While a lot could change between now and then, it’s crystal clear the writer/director is going to have some time on his hands and he could easily squeeze in another movie or two before heading back into the fold of one of the biggest franchises on the planet. And consideringKnives Outcurrently boasts a 98 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, he’ll surely have plenty of other opportunities coming his way.
As for what this trilogy will be about? All Rian Johnson has really said is that he plans to move beyond the legacy characters. So we can expect these movies to focus on new characters not connected to the Skywalkers. Beyond that? We’re going to have to wait until Johnson is ready to tell us more. But, considering the schedule, that could be a while. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as any further details on the project are made available. In the meantime, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is set to hit theaters on December 20. This news comes to us via theEvening Standard.
